Echo the patterns that Bobo sings.

Keep the beat
Option 1 - invite the children to find ways to keep the beat with the music.
They could pat (lap, tummy, head, nose etc), clap or stomp

Option 2 - Play freeze dance with the music
Play the track and have the children move to the music.
Pause and the students freeze in place.
If you catch anyone moving they sit down and become "spotters"

Option 3 - choose instruments and play along with the music

Invite the students to tell you what they know about leprechauns. (if too many want to share, invite them to share with a neighbor)

Keep the beat as you listen to the song. The teacher could be the leader, or choose leaders from the class and have all copy the leader.

Play again and sing along.

Adapt the game:
A section: March in place
B section: do a “sailors horn pipe” - fold arms and jig in place

Say the poem and demonstrate the actions for them. Ask the children if there were parts of the poem that you said in a quiet voice (hidden away where nobody sees). Discuss why you might say that part of the poem quietly. Invite the children to say the poem and do the actions with you.

Dramatize the poem. Choose five children to be the “bees” and have the other children make a circle around them to be the “hive” (or cover the five children with a large scarf). Say the poem, and when the bees come out of the hive the children “fly” out and around the room, buzzing like bees.

Here is the Beehive, (hold one fist in front of you)
But where are the bees? (outstretch other hand with palm up)
Hidden away where nobody sees. (cover fist with your hand)
Watch and you’ll see them come out of the hive. (look out (hand to forehead))
One, two, three, four, five (show fingers, one at a time)

Play the game or use a stretchy band.

Game directions: Form a circle. Traditionally this is played with the students sitting in circle, cross legged with knees touching. A bee is passed to a neighbor’s lap on the beat. No one can miss their lap or miss anyone in the circle. Everyone keeps the beat by tapping as the bee goes around in the circle. The student who has the bee at the end of the song is “out.” This is quite difficult for students to do successfully. An easier way to play the game is to have all students stand up in a circle with hands outstretched, palms up. Choose one student to be the “beat keeper.” That student takes the bee, and touches each student on the outstretched hands, on the beat. If you are touched with the bee on the word “out,” you’re out and sit down.

Denise Tip: I found two different bees to use for this game. One bee was a really big stuffed one. We called this bee “Buzzy” and he sang the Bumblebee song in a low voice. The other bee was a really tiny fabric appliqué. We called the tiny bee “Buzzina” and she sang in a very high voice. Each time a racer was “out” they took a different bee, so we sang the song each time in a contrasting voice. Switching registers like this has helped several of my students to find their singing voices. The big jump from low voice to high voice made them aware of where their head voice was.

You can also use “Bee Bee Bumblebee” to select racers. Pound fists or tap shoulders of one student per beat. The student selected on “you” is racer one. The student opposite will also race. They speed walk around the circle back to their own place. The first one to reach their place wins. They should then sit down so you know they’ve had turns.

Sing and move to the song.

This will be familiar to many children.

This is a good time to review high-middle-low and to sing using high-middle-low.

Move with ribbons or scarves to show high/low.

Follow the listening map.

Coloring page shows the instrument used and highlights the concepts: high/low and loud/quiet.
The coloring page includes a donkey, and a music critic.
Some people thought that the composer was imagining that music critics were donkeys when he wrote this piece.

There is also a mini-book of the enter Carnival of the Animals which will save some paper.

Sing "The Music Time is Over."